The Christian philosophy reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Christian philosophy

Christian philosophy is a two-millennia tradition of rational thought as applied to the Christian tradition. No survey article can do more than touch on the most major figures and traditions, each of which are covered in articles of their own. Also there has been considerable interaction with Jewish philosophy and Islamic philosophy that continues into the modern era, e.g. modern Islamic philosophy explores many issues in common with modern Catholic philosophy.

Crucial figures in the history of Christian philosophy are:

• Jesus
• St. Paul
• Augustine of Hippo
• Aquinas and Francis Bacon

The latter two are major figures in Scholastic philosophy which led to:

• Renaissance philosophy - emerging from Scholasticism
• Reformation philosophy - Martin Luther and Erasmus notably
• Enlightenment philosophy - by authors who were part of or reacting to Christian norms

More modern Christian philosophy is effectively indistinguishable from secular philosophy in most methodological respects, although some major figures, e.g. Pope John Paul II, have taken issue with some of these as unethical. See Fides et Ratio for a detailed review of this work.

Among modern Christian philosophers are people like:

• Karl Barth
• G.K. Chesterton
• Søren Kierkegaard
• C.S. Lewis
• K E Løgstrup
• Jacques Maritain
• Alvin Plantinga

Related Sites

• ethics
• Ethics in the Bible
• moral philosophy
• Reactionary for information on the Clerical Philosophers

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